Birmingham — Officials called for a crackdown on those who violate the city's youth curfew. Mayor Larry Langford proposed fines starting at $500 for a first offense, with violators taken straight to jail. City Council President Carole Smitherman said police should also haul offenders' parents to jail. Last weekend, a 16-year-old was arrested in a double homicide during the night outside a club.

Alaska:

Anchorage — A man died in the parking lot of the city jail while trying to elude police in a chase through downtown. Robert Wells, 24, died after his truck landed upside down. The chase started when he allegedly sideswiped the cruiser of an Anchorage policeman who was parked in front of the precinct downtown. Police said Wells had a revoked driver's license.

Arizona:

San Luis — Activists protesting high electricity costs in northern Mexico blocked the border crossing here, leaving motorists fuming as they waited to get into Mexico. About 300 people picketed at the crossing in an effort to get the Mexican government to lower summertime rates.

Arkansas:

Little Rock — Susan McDougal is appealing a judge's denial of her request to unseal her grand jury testimony from the Whitewater investigation. U.S. Senior Circuit Judge Pasco Bowman said McDougal did not demonstrate a "particularized need" for access to the proceedings.

California:

San Francisco — A businessman once profiled in a best-selling inspirational book was ordered to pay $540,000 for defrauding investors. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero found that Deni Leonard, 62, misled investors in his public company while living a lavish lifestyle. Leonard was included in the book What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson.

Colorado:

Denver — A man accused of checking out hundreds of books and DVDs from libraries around the Denver area and then trying to sell them was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Thomas Pilaar, 34, was ordered to pay more than $53,000 in restitution. Of an estimated 1,400 books and DVDs that were taken, about 500 have been recovered, authorities said.

Connecticut:

New Haven — A decade after deregulation of the electrical power industry in the state, only about 8% of Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating customers have signed on with alternative suppliers, the companies said. The two companies distribute the power, while they and other companies compete to supply it.

Delaware:

Wilmington — The Christina School Board approved a school tax decrease for homeowners for the coming year of 13.9 cents per $100 of assessed value, the second year in a row the taxes have been lowered, officials said. At the same time, prices that students pay for school meals are going up.

D.C.:

Mayor Adrian Fenty and Councilman Jim Graham said a total of $200,000 in grants will be split among 25 non-profit organizations working with youths to curb gang violence. The money was funneled from the city police to the Citywide Coordinating Council on Youth Violence Prevention.

Florida:

Fort Lauderdale — The wife of Fort Lauderdale's police chief was being held on a charge of aggravated assault after allegedly firing a gun during a fight with him. Plantation police said Eleanor Adderley, 45, was arrested after Chief Frank Adderley called officers to report a domestic dispute. No one was hurt.

Georgia:

Waynesboro — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans a public meeting on a proposal to build two nuclear reactors at Georgia Power's Plant Vogtle near here. The meeting July 17 will give residents a chance to learn about the approval process for reactors.

Hawaii:

Honolulu — A rash of domestic-violence deaths on the main Hawaiian island of Oahu prompted a protest aimed at those who don't report dangerous family problems. More than 150 people marched on the State Capitol. Seven of the 10 homicide or murder-suicide deaths on Oahu this year resulted from domestic incidents.

Idaho:

Ammon — Some residents are still watering their lawns in violation of a conservation order, causing faucets to periodically run dry, officials said. The city hopes to end the water shortage by building a ninth well. In the meantime, those who violate watering rules in Ammon will be fined.

Illinois:

Springfield — The state Department of Agriculture began distributing more than $2 million to farmers who lost crops or money when a southwest Illinois grain-elevator operator closed in February. The department said 100 farmers lost a combined $2.1 million.

Indiana:

Fort Wayne — The Police Department has bought three three-wheeled electric scooters as a way to help patrol downtown while cutting down on gas use. Chief Rusty York said he first took notice of T3s a few years ago when he tried them at police expositions. The scooters can reach speeds of 23 mph and can go for about eight hours on a charge, York said. The T3s cost $7,800 each, York said.

Iowa:

Des Moines — A new police department policy bans tattoos, branding and intentional scarring on the face, head, neck, hands, and exposed arms and legs. Employees who already have markings are exempt. The police union called the policy unreasonable and filed a grievance, but Chief Judy Bradshaw said the ban is about projecting an image.

Kansas:

Wichita — A federal judge scheduled a hearing on July 17 in the case of a doctor accused of running a pill mill at his clinic in Haysville. The hearing will deal with defense claims that prosecutors are withholding information they need to defend Stephen Schneider and his wife, nurse Linda Schneider. Their clinic has been linked to 56 overdose deaths.

Kentucky:

Mayfield — A judge ruled that the two remaining defendants charged with killing a teen mother eight years ago will face trial in September. Attorneys for Jeffery Allen Burton and Tamara Caldwell had asked that the murder, rape and kidnapping cases be thrown out because a key witness was accused of lying.

Louisiana:

Baton Rouge — Former University of Louisiana System Chairman Carl Shetler of Lake Charles is returning to the board as an appointee of Republican Gov. Jindal. Shetler replaces Victor Bussie of Baton Rouge who stepped down last week for health reasons. Shetler was the board chairman when Jindal was named UL System president in 1999.

Maine:

Augusta — The state is overriding local ordinances banning truck traffic near Pike Industries' pit and asphalt plant between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. to advance construction on Interstate 295, officials said. Residents complain about the noise, but transportation officials said the extended hours for trucks are likely to continue until the end of August, when the project is to be completed.

Maryland:

Hagerstown — The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services wants to triple the amount of furniture, food and other products produced by state inmates. The expansion is made possible by a new law requiring that the profits be retained by the corrections department. In recent years, state government used a million-dollar annual profit to fund other programs.

Massachusetts:

Boston — The state Supreme Judicial Court upheld Gov. Patrick's firing of the state's chief medical examiner. Mark Flomenbaum claimed he was fired without cause. Patrick, a Democrat, removed Flomenbaum after a series of blunders by the medical examiner's office, including a body that was misplaced and later found in the wrong grave.

Michigan:

Lincoln — State safety inspectors are investigating why a $1.7 million health center building under construction in Alcona County collapsed in a matter of seconds. Six workers who were on recently installed roof trusses were not seriously hurt. The 12,200-square-foot building was to house the Alcona Health Center's medical operations.

Minnesota:

St. Paul — One of the 25 original printed versions of the Declaration of Independence will be on display at City Hall from Sept. 2-4, coinciding with the Republican National Convention. Mayor Chris Coleman said the convention is a perfect fit for a document that celebrates American civic pride.

Mississippi:

Purvis — The Lamar County School Board voted to end corporal punishment in the district in the upcoming school year. Superintendent Ben Burnett said paddling was rarely used by administrators — and has been off the books for teachers for several years.

Missouri:

St. Louis — A former city firefighter pleaded guilty to inappropriate contact with a child. Eric Patt, 41, will serve a suspended five-year prison term and three years of supervised probation. Investigators said an 11-year-old girl told police she was awakened and fondled by Patt when she spent the night at his home as his wife's guest.

Montana:

Lincoln — A mounted, 830-pound grizzly bear is on display at the Helena National Forest's Lincoln Ranger District office. When the huge bear, which had been struck and killed by a pickup near Lincoln last fall, wouldn't fit through the door, the front window of the ranger station was removed. A single-pane picture window was installed to better display the bear.

Nebraska:

Lincoln — A World War II veteran died on a return flight to Lincoln from Washington, D.C. Donald Dragoo, 91, was on a Heartland Honor Flight with 116 other Nebraska veterans. A group pays tribute to veterans with the trips to see the World War II Memorial. Dragoo was said to be in poor health, and a daughter accompanied him. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Nevada:

Carson City — A bid to pump more than 11 billion gallons of groundwater a year from three rural Nevada valleys to Las Vegas was cut to just more than 6 billion gallons and approved by the state's water engineer. The Southern Nevada Water District's proposal faces strong opposition from ranchers and others who warn that the pumping could have catastrophic environmental impact.

New Hampshire:

Concord — Lawyers for the man accused of killing a Manchester police officer appealed to the state Supreme Court to get his trial moved out of the city. Michael Addison's lawyers say that people in Manchester were too outraged by the 2006 shooting of Officer Michael Briggs for an impartial jury to be chosen.

New Jersey:

Trenton — An appeals court agreed that city Police Director Joseph Santiago must resign because he's not a resident. Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer had argued that he exempted Santiago from a 1972 residency requirement. Santiago's lawyer blamed disgruntled officers for persuading the City Council and some residents to file a lawsuit to oust Santiago, who plans another appeal.

New Mexico:

Santa Fe — State revenue collections in the current budget year will be almost $400 million higher than expected, according to a new financial forecast. The extra money could be used for one-time spending projects and to supplement agencies' budgets. Next year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Richardson are projected to have about $392 million in new money.

New York:

New York — Residents of the Hunts Point neighborhood in the Bronx are suing the city and a private waste recycling company. They say putrid odors from two sewage facilities infiltrate homes and schools, preventing them from enjoying their yards and hanging clothes out to dry. One plant is city-run. The other, New York Organic Fertilizer, turns sewage into fertilizer pellets.

North Carolina:

Lexington — Stanley Furniture will consolidate its North Carolina production, cutting 350 jobs in Lexington and adding 200 in Robbinsville. The company said it will close down in Lexington by mid-October. The jobs in the more modern Robbinsville plant will be added over a couple of years, officials said. Davidson County has lost almost 5,000 furniture jobs since 2001.

North Dakota:

Wahpeton — Petr Spacek, 41, is accused in the theft of what authorities say is more than $100,000 worth of property from homes and farms in the region. The items range from construction and farm equipment to smaller objects such as snowblowers and even animal head mounts. Police, acting on a tip, discovered the property at two farmsteads in Richland County.

Ohio:

Columbus — The House blocked a plan for bonuses of up to $1,000 for veterans of the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars and up to $5,000 for families of those killed in action. Speaker Jon Husted objected to borrowing up to $200 million for the plan. Such assistance already goes to vets of World Wars I and II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Oklahoma:

Catoosa — The Cherokee Nation plans to donate more than $6 million toward a widening project for Interstate 44 in Catoosa. The work near the Cherokee Nation Casino and Resort was set to begin in 2011, but transportation officials said that with the contribution and a tribal right of way valued at more than $1 million, the project probably can begin in summer 2009.

Oregon:

Medford — Fruit growers in the Rogue Valley are setting fires in their orchards, in hopes of halting a bacterial disease that attacks pear and apple trees during humid weather. Controlled burns to destroy infected branches have occurred nearly daily in the past few weeks, Jackson County fire districts report. The bacteria attacks the trees through blooms or tiny injuries on green growth.

Pennsylvania:

Harrisburg — Larger-than-expected state funding will mean smaller cuts in grant awards to Pennsylvania college students. An increase of 5.5%, to $407 million, surpassed the 3% originally proposed by Democratic Gov. Rendell. The average state grant award for this year will be $2,738, down from last year's $3,190. About 163,000 students are expected to benefit.

Rhode Island:

Providence — State tax officials are using a new computer system to track more than $10 million owed to the state. Authorities will study documents from out-of-state retailers to see if Rhode Islanders who buy goods in tax-free states are paying the required state taxes.

South Carolina:

Charleston — Experts said an endangered shore bird that breeds in the Great Lakes is doing well in South Carolina. The gray-and-white piping plover has been spotted in coastal areas. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist said a survey counted 125 plovers — the third record year in a row.

South Dakota:

Sioux Falls — Minnehaha County commissioners are pressing Gov. Rounds, a Republican, to do something about the state's new license plate registration system. They said long lines have prompted two county workers to quit in frustration. The system, effective July 1, changed the way tags are registered so plates stay with the person instead of the vehicle.

Tennessee:

Nashville — State wildlife officials said they're now destroying alligators they find because there's nowhere to send them. It's illegal to have alligators in Tennessee. Officials previously tried to place them in zoos or sanctuaries, but Florida stopped accepting the alligators.

Texas:

Houston — An accounting clerk for a window-covering company is accused of siphoning nearly $6 million from the business over the past four years. Marcia Sinclair, 43, worked for Gulf Coast Window Covering for 16 years.

Utah:

Salt Lake City — The Highway Patrol believes strong winds may have caused a rollover accident that killed a man and his two stepchildren on State Road 24 near Hanksville. Officials said Darren Westerfield of Murray was driving a sport-utility vehicle pulling a boat on a trailer, creating more surface area for the wind to hit. Tyler Hibler, 15, and Alissa Keep, 7, also died.

Vermont:

Rutland — Jacqueline Rislove, 62, was charged with grand larceny in what authorities called a dognapping. Rislove is accused of refusing to return a Chihuahua named Gil after the dog's owner let Rislove take him for a walk in April. Police said they don't know where the dog is now. The owner said the dog is valued at $1,300.

Virginia:

Manassas — Some Prince William County residents and lawmakers are upset that so many trees were destroyed at Manassas National Battlefield Park. Authorities at the Civil War memorial cut down 130 acres of trees in a section named Deep Cut. Park Superintendent Ed Clark said the action cleared vistas to help visitors better understand what happened there.

Washington:

Bothell — This city will pay $350,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who ran into delays in 2006 seeking a license to open a strip club. As part of the deal, Bob Davis agreed not to try to do business in Bothell for 10 years. The city did not admit fault. It has since adopted tougher rules for adult entertainment businesses.

West Virginia:

Charleston — A $170,000 mistake in a state paving contract likely will affect other road projects. A Division of Highways official blames human error for adding the cost to a repaving project in Charleston. Allen said the DOH will have to adjust elsewhere because of the overrun.

Wisconsin:

Madison — The state purchased more than 92,000 megawatt hours of renewable electrical energy. Most of the electricity will come from wind, solar, hydro and landfill gas sources in Wisconsin, said Gov. Doyle, a Democrat. The law requires the state to get 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2012.

Wyoming:

Cheyenne — The American Civil Liberties Union agreed to represent Andrew Yellowbear, a Northern Arapaho tribe member, in his lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections. Yellowbear, serving a life sentence for the beating death of his daughter, said the state is violating his rights by refusing him bald eagle feathers for religious ceremonies.

U.S. territory:

Puerto Rico — A federal grand jury indicted six San Juan police officers on civil rights violations in the beating death of a man in 2003. The officers face charges of police brutality and lying to the FBI. The department has been the focus of several recent probes, with other officers accused of planting drugs on low-income residents.